Apparatus for producing variable high frequency vibrations in a liquid medium

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods to form and utilize pulsating fluid pressures in oil well formation treating of producing wells or as a part of secondary or tertiary recovery processes. Self induced or artificially induced liquid-gas phase changes occur in-situ which are utilized to selectively and variably treat oil wells including but not limited to fracturing, temporary or permanent plugging, cementing, drilling, water block and cone prevention, control over the driving and/or driven fluids in primary, secondary or tertiary recovery techniques.

' United States Patent [1 1 Brandon 1 1 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING VARIABLE HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATIONS IN A LIQUID MEDIUM [75] Inventor: Clarence W. Brandon, Tulsa, Okla.

[73] Assignees: Orpha B. Brandon, Tulsa, Okla.; N.

A. Hardin; Catherine H. Newton; Hazel H. Wright, Forsyth, Ga. part interest to each [22] Filed: Jan. 23, 1967 [21] Appl. No.: 611,082

Related US. Application Data [52] US. Cl 417/540, 417/240, 417/552 [51] Int. Cl. F04b 11/00, F04f 7/00, F04b 21/04 [58] Field of Search 103/37 A, 38, 223,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,590,766 1/1926 Lipmann 230/190 1,682,570 8/1928 Holveck 103/37 [4 1 Oct. 16, 1973 1,842,785 1/1932 Hubbard 74/589 2,047,419 7/1936 Lee 74/589 2,312,979 3/1943 Reynolds... 103/205 2,597,050 5/1952 Audemar... 103/223 X 2,711,697 6/1955 Gibbs 103/223 2,773,455 12/1956 Mercier 103/223 2,359,960 10/1944 Anderson... 103/38 2,771,845 11/1956 Eagan 103/206 2,934,025 4/1960 Wilson 103/223 3,259,076 7/1966 Halberg et a1. 103/38 3,446,156 5/1969 Lightfoot 103/178 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 450,347 9/1935 Great Britain 103/37 Primary Examiner-William L. Freeh [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus and methods to form and utilize pulsating fluid pressures in oil well formation treating of producing wells or as a part of secondary or tertiary recovery processes. Self induced or artificially induced liquid-gas phase changes occur in-situ which are utilized to selectively and variably treat oil wells including but not limited to fracturing, temporary or permanent plugging, cementing, drilling, water block and cone prevention, control over the driving and/or driven fluids in primary, secondary or tertiary recovery techniques.

10 Claims, 44 Drawing Figures PATENTEUBIII 16 1973 Clarence W. Bra/mam IN VEN TOR.

PAIENIEnnm 16 ms SHEU 02 0F 24 Fig.2

C/aren as W. Brandon IN VEN TOR.

AMMAM Attorney;

PATENTEUBET 16 B75 SRKET 0'4 0F 24 mbo m v N Fig.4

Clarence W. Brandon INVENTOR.

wuom.

PATENTED OCT 1 8 I973 SHEET (18 0F Zfi INVENTOR.

Clarence W. Brandon BY A ww Anomq:

PATENTEU URI 16 I973 SEE! 05 HF 24 n m @m m N UE "WW NWm I d W J1 Q 6 mm I mg M Q 0 Q o 0 Wm 50 m o o o 0 $6 3 0 v09 0 M O 11.0 o 7 o o WQQ\ O o O o QQK mm "1 I i i l l mm W: o No 4% m g Q NV QN O Q\V NNv QM vNN PATENTEUum 161913 3. 765.804

sum 08 or 24 Clarence W Brandon IN VEN TOR.

Attorney:

PAIENIEUBU 16 ms 3.765304 sum 10 or 24 Fig Clarence W. Brandon IN V EN TOR.

PAIENIEUnm 16 ms SHEU 11 or 2::

C/arence W. Brandon INVENTOR. BY M 1 4%.

Attorneys PATENIEDUEI 15 I915 SHEU 1211f 24 Clarence W. Brandon INVENTOR. BY F 0%,,

Attomqs PAIENTEnnm 16 ms 3.765.,804

C/arence W. Brandon IN VEN TOR. BY AW 40 Arm-m PATENIEnum 16 ms 3.765304 sum m or en Clarence W. Brandon IN VEN TOR.

BY QLMW Attorney:

Fig. 20

PAIENIEuucI '16 ms 3.765804 saw 15 nr 24 Clarence W. Brandon 1 N V EN TOR.

MA MMW PMENHIUUU 16MB SHEET 16 0F 24 QM L www www www Clarence W. Brandon INVENTOR. BY W Attorneys PATENTEDUBT 16 I973 \M y mm at WL Wm M M A 52 WWW NNN Clarence W. Brandon INVENTOR. BY 4 M? W 1 Anamq:

PMENTEUUBI 161975 sum 1811f 24 NWN 

1. A generator of energy transmitting waves in a liquid medium comprising a reciprocating pulsator having direct contact with said medium during generation of compression and rarefaction phases of said energy waves, a pair of drive shafts, a guide, a slide mounted upon said guide for rectilinear reciprocation and connected to said pulsator, a rocker pivoted at its midportion upon said slide for reciprocation therewity, a pair of connecting rods each connected to one of said drive shafts, means adjustably pivoting each connecting rod to one end of said rocker and thereby varying the axis of the pivotal connection from the rocker axis of pivotal connection to said slide, means for driving one of said drive shafts and a driving connection between said shafts for varying the angular relation therebetween and thereby varying the movement imparted by the rocker to said pulsator.
 2. A generator of energy transmitting waves in a liquid medium comprising a reciprocating pulsator having direct contact with said medium during generation of compression and rarefaction phases of said energy waves, a pair of crankshafts, a guide, a slide mounted upon said guide for rectilinear reciprocation and connected to said pulsator, a rocker pivoted at its midportion upon said slide and reciprocable therewith, a pair of connecting rods each pivoted to a crankshaft and to one end of said rocker, means for causing rotation of one crankshaft, means interconnecting said crankshafts, means for varying the phase relation of said crankshafts whereby to independently vary the motion imparted by each crankshaft to said rocker and slide, an eccentric pivot connecting each connecting rod to said rocker and operable to vary the effective length of its rocker arm.
 3. A generator of energy transmitting waves in a liquid medium comprising a reciprocating pulsator in direct contact with said medium, a pair of drive shafts, a reciprocatory counterbalance weight, a pair of guides, a slide mounted on each of said guides and connected one to said pulsator and the other to said counterbalance weight, a pair of rockers each pivoted at its mid-portion to one of said slides for reciprocation therewith, each rocker having a pair of connecting rods connecting it to both of said crankshafts, means for driving one of said crankshafts, means interconnecting said crankshafts, means for varying the phase relation of said crankshafts, adjustable means pivoting said connecting rods to said rockers whereby to vary the effective length of the rocker arms, said adjusting means for said counterbalance weight rocker being operable to proportion the counterbalance stroke to compensate for variations in the pulsator stroke.
 4. An assembly for generating an energy wave having compression and rarefaction phases within an energy wave transmitting medium, comprising a working cylinder and a counterbalance cylinder each having a piston reciprocable therein, a source of power, means connecting each piston to said source of power for reciprocation thereby, said counterbalance piston being of such mass and disposed at such phase relation to said working piston as to balance the momentum of the latter and its associated connecting means, including pressure equalizing means for applying the pressure at the working piston output to the counterbalance piston.
 5. An assembly for generating an energy wave having compression and rarefaction phases within an energy wave transmitting medium, comprising a working cylinder and a counterbalance cylinder each having a piston reciprocable therein, a source of power, means connecting each piston to said source of power for reciprocation thereby, saiD counterbalance piston being of such mass and disposed at such phase relation to said working piston as to balance the momentum of the latter and its associated connecting means, including means for storing energy into the counterbalance piston by fluid pressure from the working piston on its working stroke whereby to obtain a flywheel effect from the counterbalance piston.
 6. An assembly for generating an energy wave having compression and rarefaction phases within an energy wave transmitting medium, comprising a working cylinder and a counterbalance cylinder each having a piston reciprocable therein, a source of power, means connecting each piston to said source of power for reciprocation thereby, said counterbalance piston being of such mass and disposed at such phase relation to said working piston as to balance the momentum of the latter and its associated connecting means, including adjusting means in the means connecting each piston to said source of power for varying the resultant thrust of one piston upon the other whereby to maintain the pistons balanced despite variations in their strokes.
 7. A generator of energy transmitting waves in a liquid medium comprising a pump cylinder having communication with a liquid medium and a reciprocating pump piston having direct contact with said medium during generation of compression and rarefaction phases of said energy waves, means for reciprocating said pump whereby to generate an energy transmitting wave in said medium, pressure means for loading said pump cylinder to augment the waves including a pressure chamber communicating with the latter rearwardly of the piston, and means for maintaining pressure in said pressure chamber.
 8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said piston has a one-way valve in its head, means for introducing fluid into said piston rearwardly of said valve and for discharging fluid through said valve when a relative rarefaction exists in the fluid medium adjacent the valve.
 9. The combination of claim 7 wherein said piston has a one-way valve in its head, means for introducing fluid into said piston rearwardly of said valve and for discharging fluid through said valve when a relative rarefaction exists in the fluid medium adjacent the valve, said pressure chamber communicating with said means for introducing fluid.
 10. The combination of claim 7 wherein said pressure chamber has an expansible bag therein for imposing pressure upon the liquid medium within said pressure chamber, said pressure maintaining means including a source of fluid under pressure having communication with the interior of said expansible bag. 